RESTRICTED  
  
WT/BFA/W/665  
 
12 March  2024 
(24-2215) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration    
 
 
2024 WTO SALARY SURVEY  
The purpose of this paper is to provide the Committee with information about the outcomes of the 
annual salary survey, which leads to a 1.7% adjustment of the WTO salary scale for 202 4, retroactive 
to 1 January 2024 . 
1.  In accordance with the Salary Adjustment Methodology set out in Annex B of the Staff 
Regulations (see Appendix 1)1, the 202 4 salary survey has been carried out , comparing WTO sal aries 
with those of the market comparators : the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) and the 
Coordinated Organizations.  
2.  In order to determine the adjustment to be made to the WTO Salary Scale each year, the WTO 
salary levels at the midpoint in each grade  are compared to the international midpoint salary levels 
in the two comparators , the UNOG  (Geneva salary levels) and the Coordinated Organizations (Paris 
salary levels converted to Swiss Francs). A 70% weight is applied to the salary levels of the UNOG , 
with the remaining 30% weight placed on the Coordinated Organizations salary levels.  
3.  In 2024,  United Nations professional salary levels in Geneva (70% of the weight) increased by 
3.2%  as of 1 February , following  an increase to the post adjustment factor for Geneva effective on 
1 February.  Ordinarily, United Nations professional salaries are adjusted on  1 January. In the 
absence of such adjustment on 1 January, this year, the adjustment to UN professional salary levels 
in place on 1 February was taken into account in the WTO 2024 salary survey . United Nations salaries 
for staff in the General Service category in Geneva increased by 1.5%.  
4.  Salaries in the Coordinated Organization s (30% of the weight) increased by 2% effective 
1 January 2024 . 
5.  Following the salary adjustments in the comparator organizations , the application of the 
methodology indicates that a 1.7% adjustment of the WTO salary scale should be made for 202 4. 
The frozen salary scale currently in effect for staff who joined the WTO before 2012 will be overtaken 
and therefore  removed  as a result of this increase . 
6.  The 202 4 salary scale is set out in Table 1  below.   
 
1 The background relating to the introduction of the current methodology in 2004 is contained in 
document WT/BFA/64.  WT/BFA/W/665  
 
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  Table 1. 2024 WTO salary scale  
Grade  Range  
Minimum  Maximum  
1 53,676  73,149  
2 58,497  79,738  
3 63,747  86,028  
4 69,539  94,777  
5 76,094  103,700  
6 83,334  113,580  
7 95,716  130,453  
8 120,227  160,431  
9 142,831  185,087  
10 169,982  206,385  
11 199,831  227,669  
12 217,948  237,264  
ADG 250,044  250,044  
DDG 270,895  270,895  
 
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 WT/BFA/W/665  
 
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  Appendix 1: WTO Salary Scale – Method of Annual Adjustment   
(Annex B of the Staff Regulation)  
Pursuant to Staff Regulation  6.2, the WTO salary scale shall be adjusted according to the 
following method:  
 
The WTO salary scale shall be adjusted annually on 1 January through a comparison of WTO 
international salaries with the salary scales effective on 1 January in a basket of co mparators. The 
comparators shall be the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) and the Coordinated Organisations 
[1] (CO).  The relative weighting of the comparators shall be 70% for the United Nations and 30% 
for the Coordinated Organisations.   
 
The salari es of the comparators shall be measured at the mid -point of each of the grades that 
have been determined by the Director -General, and reported to the Committee on Budget, Finance 
and Administration and the General Council, to be equivalent to grades 1 thro ugh 12, ADG and DDG 
in the WTO.  
 
The international salary scales of the Coordinated Organisations shall be converted to a 
Geneva base using a 50/50 mix of Purchasing Power Parities (PPP) and one -year average of Nominal 
Exchange rates (NER).  For UNOG, the S wiss franc salary scales (P and GS) shall be used. PPP/NER 
data used for the purposes of the comparison shall be the most recent data available.  
 
The grade -weighted average difference between the WTO salary scale and the comparator 
salary scales shall then  be determined [2], and the WTO salary scale adjusted on average 
accordingly, provided that the resulting overall payroll increase shall not exceed the corresponding 
payroll -weighted average difference between the WTO salary scale and comparator salary sca les. In 
applying the adjustment, the Director -General shall take account of the need to maintain 
competitiveness of all grades with the salaries in the comparators and shall report his decision to 
the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration.  
Data sources     
Comparator salary scales  Salary scales for UNOG (Swiss franc salaries for UN staff in Geneva) and the 
Coordinated Organisations effective 1 January for the year in question.  
Purchasing Power Parities 
(PPP)  PPP provided by the Coordinated O rganisations for the adjustment of salaries 
of international staff.  
Nominal Exchange Rate 
(NER)  One-year average of UN operational exchange rates  
 
 
[1] The Coordinated Organisations comprise the following international organizations: North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization (NATO), Council of Europe, European Space Agency (ESA), European Centre for Medium 
Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the OECD. The scale used for the CO will be based on a weighted 
average of any change to the CO salary scale as implement ed by the constituent organizations of the CO.  
[2] The grade -weighted average refers to the average difference in salaries weighted by the percentage 
of WTO staff in grades 1 to 12, ADG and DDG.  
 
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